The Santa Barbara Public Library has received a $20,000 grant to host the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read this fall.
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An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read is designed to broaden understanding of readers’ world, their communities, and themselves through the joy of sharing a good book.
Santa Barbara Public Library is one of 75 nonprofit organizations to receive an NEA Big Read grant to host a community reading program September 2017-June 2018.
The NEA Big Read in Santa Barbara will feature Station Eleven, an award-winning science fiction novel by Emily St. John Mandel.
The book is about the survivors of an apocalyptic pandemic who form a traveling symphony, performing music and Shakespeare’s plays in outposts throughout the remnants of civilization.
There will be discussions and workshops focused on public health as well as artistic, literary, and cultural programming inspired by the book’s many themes.
“The goal of these programs is to bring together the community to celebrate reading and to have timely conversations about issues that impact the future health of our community,” said library director, Jessica Cadiente.
The library has partnered with a number of local groups and organizations to produce events as part of the NEA Big Read. These groups include:
Area high schools, SBCC Luria Library and Creative Writing Program, DramaDogs Theater Company, Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture, Ensemble Theatre Company, Old Kings Road Pub and Santa Barbara Museum of Art
This is the third NEA Big Read grant the Santa Barbara Public Library has received. Previous grants were in 2009 for Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and in 2013 for Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried.
“Through the NEA Big Read, we are bringing contemporary works to communities across the country, helping us better understand the diverse voices and perspectives that come with it,” said NEA Chair Jane Chu.
“These 75 organizations have developed unique plans to celebrate these works, including numerous opportunities for exploration and conversation,” she said.
The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery.
The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, which annually supports about 75 dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single NEA Big Read selection.
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop creative capacities.
— Molly Wetta for city of Santa Barbara.